A New Promise
by FallenAngelSurei
Summary: A new promise has been made. Regret resurfaces and sadness overwhelms. Is it true love? Will true love ever be? [KougaAya]
1. Winter Prologue

**Dedicated to Kirstie with love.**

**Yep, a story for mah bestest friend in the whole wide world! xD KougaAya, of course. **

**Summary: A new promise has been made. Regret resurfaces and sadness overwhelms. Is it true love? Will true love_ ever_ be? KougaAya**

**A New Promise**

**Chapter One: Winter Prologue**

Rain. It seemed to be everywhere lately at all hours of the day. The days were glum and passing by very slowly. The sky was grey, a very light grey, with a slight tint of blue. A sign of sun possibly? Doubtful. Clouds didn't dot the sky like normal, no, they covered the sky. A mixture of colors; purples and grays. Thunder rumbled off in the distance and an ocean gazed stared at the never ending pour of rain. Thunder would probably reach the mountains to the North in about an hour or so. They sounded far off in the east.

Winter was coming up and the owner of said eyes figured it would soon be snowing. He didn't hate the snow…it just brought some casualties that he didn't like overcoming. It would be hard to catch dinner nowadays. It had been getting hard in the past weeks and with winter coming, it will be even worse. Both he and his tribe hadn't been out of the den much unless it was called for. There were risks the Prince didn't feel like taking right now.

Days had now been spent strategizing or wrestling or doing things that young, male wolf demons do. The leader always hated being cooped up in a den, no matter the weather, and so his comrades often found him not there and figured he'd be out somewhere. They knew he'd be fine. His two best friends found it rather lonely when he wasn't with them and they found that they liked the comfort of their den, so they rarely went out with him in this type of weather.

"I'm going out. I'll try and find us some dinner."

This announcement had been common for the past several days so no one bothered to look up and wave goodbye. What was the point anymore? He wouldn't wave back. Two hands went up, though. Even if they weren't waved back at…they still waved goodbye and muttered a goodbye. For some reason, they both silently agreed that if they didn't…they'd find him gone for good and regret not ever saying goodbye. So they did this whenever he'd announce he was leaving and they wouldn't accompany him.

The Prince rarely brought home dinner when he said he'd try. His comrades didn't complain, though. It was hard to get food nowadays as previously mentioned and the Prince…well, he seemed to have a lot on his mind lately. Whenever he'd leave, he'd have this distracted, contemplative look about him and his comrades and friends knew he needed his time to sort out everything. His life has turned upside down in the past year or so. But something that happened about six days back, had completely warped it…something his comrades and friends knew nothing about. The Prince was sure only he and two other people knew about it.

This life warping event and truth had been running through his head over and over again…twenty-four seven, it seemed. It drove him insane and he wished it had never happened. He was happier remembering the past and telling him that he had made the right decisions. But now, as his past came back to haunt him, he was worried that maybe he truly _did_ make the wrong decisions. His life was good, wasn't it? He had mad the right decisions, hadn't he?

These were unanswerable questions. Questions, he contemplated, that might never be answered. The thought scared him, but luckily, he was alone in his fear and no one would ever know. Or so he thought.

_Crack!_

A thick branch that had fallen from a tree in such violent weather cracked beneath the weight of the Prince. He didn't seem to notice. Nothing really seemed noticeable to him anymore. He almost seemed void of emotion and life, which was a scary aspect for most of his comrades. If they ever lost their Prince, they weren't sure what they would do. It was something that, whenever surfaced in their mind and asked to be thought about, was pushed away. It was almost like banishment. Banishment of thought.

They knew their Prince had been trying to banish a lot of things of his own in the past couple of days or so. Banish demons from his past, they assumed. But, they also assumed, he never did banish them and that they probably would never be banished unless he did something. What this little something was, though, they were clueless to. And so this on-going process kept going…day after day. The fellow wolf demons so badly wanted their Prince to overcome it, both for their sake…and their Princes'.

The Prince had never been one to overcome mental obstacles. He was more-so a hands on kind of guy. And these demons, they feared, would not be overcome…unless the Prince overcame his own fear. The Prince was a proud one and very little did he admit defeat so they knew he would not give up. Sure, it was hope, but what could hope do? Honestly, they figured it was false hope they would later curse.

The Prince was now soaked to the bone but didn't seem to notice or mind. His fur that covered a portion of his skin was dripping with water as they got wet still. The fur was matted and knotted. It was cold out and the Prince wouldn't be surprised if it started snowing later that night. For it was late afternoon and the sky was light, letting the Prince see. Though, he knew, in just a couple of hours it would be dark and all light would be empty. He wouldn't be out that long. He needed to get back to his clan so they wouldn't worry.

He had a big burden to carry, he knew, but everyday…he toughed it out. His clan depended on him. Besides the fact that he was their Prince, he was all they had. He leaded their clan and made decisions for them. They had put all their trust in him and he knew he couldn't let them down. They had lost people; a lot of people. People that were dear to them and who had not deserved to die. The Princes' clan had agonized and suffered through that time. But that was in the past and they had moved on and stayed strong. They were still there and they wouldn't be gone so easily.

He had felt like his world was slowly crumbling…it may not have been crumbling fast, but it was crumbling nonetheless. Taking his first step out of the forest that had moments ago seemed endless, the sky overtook him. He stopped there, at the edge of the forest, and stared up at the sky. His was so clear, it seemed, but he knew that was a lie. The clouds were such a light grey they made the sky look practically white. A part of him almost wanted it to be dark…there was no light. There would never be light unless it was all fixed.

He closed his eyes for a moment, head still tilted up, raindrops pelting his face. It felt like a sanctuary almost. His eyes opened once more and he took a deep breath before looking at the cliff right in front of him. He took several steps forward until he was at the edge of it and right beside a rushing river that had taken fall over the cliff into a vast, glossy lake.

He stared at the river, his eyes traveling its length and then to the waterfall and finally, down to the lake. The river, just like that, had ended. Collided into the ground and became a lake. The thought reminded the Prince of himself almost. He had been streaming through life, coursing through it. Then, all of a sudden, without a warning in advance, he had fallen. The part that bothered him though, is that he hadn't ended the fall yet. He was still falling, even to this moment. And for all he knew, he would never stop falling.

What was left, he wondered? Why, he wondered some more, was he in so much thought now?

What had happened six days ago should have made him extremely happy and relieved, right? It was good news he had received. It was one less thing that occupied and mocked his mind. If this was all true…why did it still mock himself in his mind? Why did it bother him more and more each day? He shouldn't be worried over this, everything was good. He had no regrets in life.

He told himself this but a little voice in the back of his mind always questioned this. He had walked the right path, taken the rights turns, and made the right choices. Why, then, did he question all of this so frequently now? It was almost _too_ much for the Prince to handle and this worried him.

He put up fronts. No one would ever know he was worried or contemplative and questioning or…afraid. It was his secret to keep to himself. Something that he would take to his grave. Assuming where life would take him, the Prince was curious to the possibility that his grave was closer than he thought. After all, he led a life of violence. He had been wounded numerous times and each time, survived. But when, he wondered, would the surviving stop? When, he wondered, would it finally take his life?

He knew that soon enough…he would meet his match. And with the help of plenty of allies (whether he considered them allies or not), he would either have revenge or he would have death.

With all of this thought about, he dived. And while he dived, he thought about the event that had brought all of these thoughts to him. The fateful event that had took place only six days ago…

**Prologues are meant to be short, right? I know what the "first" chapter is going to have, so it shouldn't be too hard to get up. I had a bit of trouble writing the prologue. I'm always in Miroku or Sango's mindset so this is a new turn of events for me. Don't expect stories like this to be common. I write MiroSan stuff, unless I'm convinced otherwise. **

**Reviews are nice and I always love the reviews I get, so keep it coming! Love to all. **


	2. Admiration is not Love

**Yes! I'm back for chapter one! xD**

**Since I forgot to do it in the "prologue"…DISCLAIMER!**

**I do not own InuYasha. If I did…well lets just say that there would be LOTS of MirokuSango fluff. :3**

**Chapter One: Admiration is not Love**

_Six Days Ago…_

Emerald eyes gazed at the undisturbed rocky terrain before them and a sigh escaped from the eyes' owner. It was a troubled sigh that went quite well with the troubled orbs. Lips were pursed together and look of concentration crossed the girls' face, brows furrowed making some faint creases in her forehead. A slight breeze blew by, causing said persons' rust colored hair (up in pigtails) to sway lightly in the force.

She sat Indian style on a rather massive rock just outside of what seemed to be a cave at the top of a mountain. Rocks and jagged ground was before her for about twenty feet before it dropped suddenly. White wolves sat around her, one right beside her, head resting on her right leg. One slender arm was resting on the girls' left knee by her elbow, chin in the palm of said hand. The other arm, on the other hand, was resting on the soft, white fur of the wolf.

"What am I gonna do?" a mutter came from the barely parted lips and she closed her eyes for a moment before a frustrated groan emitted from her now parted lips. Opening her eyes, she was almost hopeful to see a different scenario in front of her, a different life. But nope, nothing was different; it was the same, same rugged terrain, same problems, and same life.

"If you want to tell him, Ayame, you'll have to get going. It's getting late." An elderly voice filled with wisdom and kindness spoke behind the female wolf demon from the edge of the cave that sat atop this mountain about ten or fifteen feet behind her.

Without looking back, the girl gave a nod. "I know, Gramps! I'll…" she trailed off, nibbling her lower lip softly, obviously in thought. "I'll go now to tell him of the news." She nudged the wolf's head off her knee and hoisted herself up onto the rock, eyes traveling the valley of forests and other terrains before and below her as she stood. "Might as well get going."

With scenes of how she was going to do what she was about to do running through her head, she suddenly disappeared in a whirl of wind and leaves, wolves close behind her, wherever she was headed.

Quite a few miles away and at the base of a whole nother mountain, a young male wolf demon walked through a river, water reaching to about his mid shins. His arms crossed across his chest and a rather stubborn look sat upon his features. Raven hair was pulled into a high ponytail swayed in the wind, azure gaze going from feature to feature about his surroundings. He was alone and trying to find some dinner for his clan so they could have a decent meat filled meal tonight instead of the normal meat that was practically meatless most of the time. Having a good portion of food sounded like an incredibly nice treat to the male and he was determined to have some tonight.

Dark grey clouds drifted across the darkening blue sky and the male hoped that it wouldn't take terribly long to find some dinner. Possibly some fish since he happened to be walking through a river.

Suddenly, though, something caught his attention and he spun around in the water, almost losing his balance. Moments ago he had heard a loud splash come from right behind him and knew it could mean a fight or something. And, well, let's just say that he was dead wrong…about it being a physical fight, that is.

Eyes widened and mouth fell open, staring at the figure in front of him with a somewhat shocked face, mouth agape. "Ayame…what are you doing here?" he asked, voice a bit lost and full of shock and confusion. "Don't tell me you're here about that promise you dreamed up again." He groaned and sighed heavily, shaking his head a little bit at her.

The female huffed at him, hands placed on her hips in a frustrated manner. Emerald eyes flashed and she scoffed some. "I didn't dream that promise up, Kouga! It happened. But right now, I honestly don't care if you remember it or not." She said stubbornly and crossed her arms across her chest as well, as if trying to say she was superior to Kouga. The news she had brought him would put their promise, whether he believed it or not, behind them and in their past forever so now it didn't matter.

Kouga blinked and watched her, tilting his head a bit and giving her an 'oh really?' look. "That's surprising, Ayame, seeing as how last time we met up you were breathing down my neck to get me to admit to that stupid promise, which is completely false and untrue, mind you." He stated matter-of-factly, giving her a superior look which topped hers.

Pressing her lips together hard and telling herself not to get upset just because he was immature and stupid, her eyes stared at the rippling water around her knees for a while. Swallowing hard and regaining her composure, she stared at him once more, eyes piercing into his this time. "You know what, Kouga? All you're doing is running from the past and hiding from it. You're afraid to admit what's _true_." She said, voice dripping with ice cold anger and her feet moving towards him with every word she rolled off her tongue. Soon she was close enough to him and jabbed her index finger into his chest hard to no advantage but held it there anyway. "Guess what, you sad excuse for a prince? This time…your past is leaving you. Yeah, that's right. You heard me. _I'm_ leaving _you_."

It took a little time to process what she had said but it still had no affect on him. He stared down to her finger pressed up against his armor and then his eyes casually moved to her flushed face. "There's nothing to leave me _with_, Ayame. I don't _care_. You need to grow up and get out of your childhood fantasies. This is stupid and-" he was cut off by probably the most shocking news he'd get for a while.

"I'm getting married, Kouga! I'm done waiting for you! Gramps found a new tribe, a _better_ tribe with a leader who will help us so much better than you could have ever imagined. And this leader is much more of a wolf than you'll ever be you….you pathetic, immature _prince_!" she shouted and in a flash she was gone, wolves at her heel.

Time had seemed to stop, everything seemed to stop. The breeze had suddenly dropped and temperature seemed nonexistent. The water rippling past Kouga's legs seem to have disappeared and life itself seemed to have hit the pause button. Suddenly, though, it felt as though blunt object and rammed itself into Kougas' chest and he let in a sharp intake of breath. Someone had hit the play button.

And now life rushed back to the raven haired wolf and he realized what exactly had happened. Ayame had come…and she told him that she was getting married. Well, to make things easier, she was to be mated with someone else. He was confused, though. Not with the news, no, but with his reaction. He should have been relieved that she was finally giving up, shouldn't he? Plus, he could have Kagome all to himself now as soon as he got that mutt-face out of his way. This should be good news to receive, right?

But for some reason, unknown to Kouga at this point in time, he didn't feel relieved. He felt a sense of loss.

Slowly turning his body around, he began to walk the way he had been coming, not caring too much about dinner now. And so he just returned to his den. He had been confused and lost ever since then, not knowing what to make of it and so far, he hadn't been able to figure it out at all.

_Present Day_

Lips gently pressed against her neck, causing her to stifle back a moan. It was sensual and sweet and gentle…everything she could ask for. Why then, did she feel like something was missing? His fingers traced soft circles on her arms, the touch lingering for a moment even after his hands had trailed away from the spot. Her arms hung loosely at her sides, letting him do his magic. He didn't mind, though, not at all. After all, he wanted her to be happy. In some ways, even in the weeks they'd known each other, he found himself attracted to her and, dare he say it, falling in love with her.

Her arms craned upwards and gently pushed him away, making him take a step backward and give her a questioning look. "It's getting late, Ken'ichi. I really should be going." She said and saw the disappointed look on her face and reached a hand up, cradling his cheek with it. "Just a few more days and we can be together." Her words had faltered some but she wasn't sure why so she just shook it away and gave him a smile. Their lips met briefly before she, with his begging her not to, left to her own den.

As she trudged up the rocky mountain path to the place she called home, a sigh passed through her barely open lips. Ken'ichi. The man she was to mate in just a few days and be with him forever. He was everything and more that she could ask for. A hazel gaze that any girl would be lost in and immediately in love. Brown locks which reached the base of his neck and perfected his always perfect face with high cheek bones and smooth skin. He stood a couple feet taller than her and had the perfect arms to embrace her in and whisper in her ear that he would always be there for her.

This man she was to be with was a gentleman, as well. He treated her like a princess and made her feel so loved and protected but even with all this happiness, her heart couldn't help but feel a little bit empty. It was like something was missing from her life, something that would forever leave an empty space in her heart. To make matters worse, she knew exactly what was causing this loss and pain. It hurt her to know and it hurt even more to know that she had purposely caused this pain and emptiness.

Gramps had found this tribe soon and everything was set up but he wouldn't move forward unless he got the okay from Ayame. She was his granddaughter and he loved her with all his heart. All he wanted from her was her happiness and he had to make sure this was what _she_ wanted. So he had talked to her about it and after some thought, she agreed to it. Then she offered to go see the man she should have rightfully been with a long time ago to break the news.

All of this had happened six days ago and now, in three days, she would be mated and forever bound to this Ken'ichi. Even though the redhead had said she had given up on Kouga and told him it was over…it wasn't in her heart. She knew that she'd always love that jerk and no matter what, she would always feel lost without him. But she also knew that she needed to put him behind her and face her future and present. Ken'ichi was her future and present and she was happy with him. The man was a good leader and man and she knew he would be an amazing mate. This leader had so much more to offer than Kouga but even so, she found herself pining for Kouga once more.

_You can keep doing this to yourself. It's for the best. Kouga's an idiotic asshole anyway and he doesn't deserve you. Ken'ichi is much better. He's a gentleman and he treats you way you should be treated._

Arguing with her conscious, she had been ignorant as to where she was going and before she knew she was in front of her den and blinked some, stopping right at the entrance. "Time flies, huh?" she muttered and stared the ground for several moments. Her emerald orbs jumped from rock to rock until she was interrupted and jumped slightly at a soft voice which had startled the silence and her for that matter.

"You're back earlier than normal. Is everything alright with you and Ken'ichi?" the eldest wolf padded up to the young female and sat in front of her, gazing up to her. He knew that she was happy with this new man but he also knew that his granddaughter still loved Kouga somewhere in her heart, despite all of her efforts to say that she didn't love him anymore. It was something that the elder learned after she had told Kouga of the news of her marriage.

The girls' face softened when she saw the old wolf and she nodded gently to him. "Yeah, everything's fine, Gramps. I wanted to get home early for some reason. I'm tired…" she mumbled as a weak smile could be traced on her features. Her features did give the hint of her being rather tired and drained. The emerald stare had become less alert than usual and her body seemed to sag a bit.

"Do you think you're awake enough to have a short talk with me?" he asked her, motioning to one of the many massive rocks that sat in front of their den. Complying with her grandfather, they both made their way over to the closest rock and both took a seat there. The older persons' eyes seemed to wander as if searching for something and then he shut his eyes for a few moments. "You do not have to go through with this if you're not happy. I know you still want Kouga and do not tell me that it's not true. I know it is. You still love him."

Her mouth opened slightly as if to speak but she closed it moments later. She wrung her hands in her lap somewhat nervously and swallowed roughly, shaking her head weakly. "Gramps, even if I were to admit that I still loved him it would only hurt me more. I know we can never be and I'm going to have to move on. B-Besides…Ken'ichi treats me good and I really do admire him and-"

"Admiration is not love. It is only a tiny branch of love."

Once again, the older man had caused her to go quiet and think about the situation. He had always seemed to do that to her. He was the wisest person she knew and whenever there was something bothering her, she went to said wise man. "I…I can grow to love him, Gramps. I just haven't known him that long. Th-These things take time." Stuttering had come about from the rusty haired girl and she grew worried that she was in fact making a mistake with this.

A paw was placed onto her knee in a matter of guidance and he nodded his head to her. "I know, I know. It hurts but you will heal. I promise you." He leaned over and gently nudged her, licking her hand softly before whispering to her once more. "Now go get some rest and don't worry about anything."

Her hands pushed off on the rock and she stumbled forward a few steps before catching her self-possession and letting her emerald orbs wander from tree-top to tree-top of the forest before her. Admitting defeat for the day she ambled her way to the entrance of the den. Once there, she curved her neck back and watched her Gramps for a couple of moments. He hadn't stirred from his spot and still looked like the content, wise elder the girl had grown to love and respect all her life.

Tugging at the corner of her lips, a smile demanded to be graced but Ayame refused it. She took several steps into her den and let out a deep breath, eyes wandering her home. Small groups of white, sleeping wolves dotted the den which made the place feel very homey to the female. She had known this to be home all of her life and would always consider this den her home. She loved this place and the wolves who resided here. Some areas were higher up than others due to rock formations which made the den spiced up and not too dull. Since there was a big entrance it never got too dark, the sun or moon or stars always illuminating light as guidance. It seemed darker than usual tonight, though, as if an ominous cloud hung over it.

Shaking her head, Ayame told herself that she was just being silly and it was fine and perfectly normal. Striding over to her make-shift bed she sat down on it and a yawn erupted from her mouth, causing her to feel sleepier than she already was. Grabbing her blanket of fur she laid down and shut her eyes, ready to have a nice, long, relaxing sleep. To make sleeping on rock more comfortable, her little make-shift bed had been made out of leaves and straw and other essentials which helped the sleep. Just moments later, though, she was disturbed from her rest. Opening one eye, she saw what had bothered her and a smile couldn't be kept back this time.

One of the younger wolves, just a mere pup, had trotted up to Ayame once he saw her get ready for some sleep and nudged his wet nose with her own dry one. His sleepy, puppy eyes made it impossible to resist him with anything and giving him a joking eye roll, the female lifted her blanket up a little. With a small, happy yip the pup padded in and did a few circles before curling up next to her. Seeing him sleep there made the smile only widen on Ayame's face and she gently placed the blanket back down, the pups' nose only visible from his tiny body. Now she was ready for some sleep and to clear her mind of all the things troubling her.

**End of Chapter One.**

**So I have some ideas for Chapter Two, so hopefully that comes quickly as well. I hope you're all enjoying this story, especially you, Kirstie. I'm getting used to Ayame and Kouga but believe me, once I have the InuYasha-tachi come, there will be at least a sentence of some implied MiroSango. xD; Haha. As for the story itself? I'm happy with it so far.**


	3. Tell Me

**Oh noes. I'm here for chapter two. :O Yes, yes the InuYasha-tachi will finally come into play here! You didn't think I'd do an _InuYasha_ fanfiction without them, did you? Psh. And yes, I may give into temptation and make a couple sentences implied MiroSango-ness. Haha.**

**Chapter Two: Advice**

"Sit! Sit, sit, sit, sit…_SIT_!"

It had been a very long day and the future-era girl could only handle so much, being drained both emotionally and physically. She didn't need smart-ass, know-it-all comments coming from the white haired half-demon. It just wasn't needed and though everyone made it painfully obvious, the owner of said smart-ass comments couldn't help but say them. Sometimes, they really wondered what exactly was inside that head of his. Kami knew he was awfully dense for being someone who seemed to have so much more potential than he let on.

"What was _that_ for, Kagome!" His voice had an immature ring to it as well, making the others _really_ wonder about him. Their wonderings, of course, were only in play and they all knew that he was just a little clueless at times. No harm, no foul. Though said half-demon did tend to get a little tiring at times. He seemed to complain a lot and say the worst things and the worst possible times. A certain brunette taijiya always asked herself how Kagome could manage to put up with such a guy, nonetheless care for so deeply. That only brought thoughts of how she managed to put up and "care for deeply" a guy who was a lecherous monk. Woe is them; the troubles of being a young girl, trying to figure out their feelings.

"You know very well what it was for!" At the dumb, offended look the male gave her, the girl from the future turned her back to him. "I'm going for a walk. I need to clear my head." Her voice seemed to have certain angriness that everyone was all too familiar with, even the half-demon. In fact, he was the most familiar with it since when she said things in that tone, they were usually directed at him.

Giving up for now, the silver haired half-demon shrugged and munched on the rest of his fish until suddenly…it was gone. He went to steal a certain fox demon's but his name was soon being shouted at him and he was forbidden from getting anymore food in the giant pit that was his stomach. Groaning, he looked up to the person who had called his name and shot a glare which was meant to tell them not to disturb them. Unlucky for the half-demon, the person who had shouted his name was an extremely stubborn person.

"InuYasha! Go after her! You know that a small apology from you will help. Even if you don't mean the damn apology, say it to her. We don't need more tension and stress on this journey of ours."

"You owe me for doing this."

"_Owe _you! I'm helping you so technically, _you_ owe _me_!" A frustrated groan emitted from the lips of the taijiya and she sighed heavily, shaking her head somewhat. "Somehow I wonder how I've honestly put up with him for this long. Just imagine poor Kagome." Becoming quiet after that, she finished off her fish and her chocolate orbs watched the dancing flames before them.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're really talking about InuYasha, Lady Sango."

The monk's voice beside her gave her a fright and she jumped some, but soon regained her composure. "I'm sure _you_ would wonder that, you lecherous monk." And so began a typical night of the InuYasha-tachi…

Letting a long and deep breath exhale, dark eyes searched the starlit sky for answers. Kagome had managed herself to the edge of the forest and found a nice seat atop a decent sized boulder. Sitting there, her legs pulled up against her chest, she rested her chin upon her knees and watched the stars. Why did stars have to be so breath-taking, even when one has seen them every day of their life? The now sixteen-year old always tried to find the answers in the stars yet every time she did, they failed her. It never brought her hopes down and it never caused her to stop searching them. They were gorgeous and Kagome loved every last one. _It's been a year since I met InuYasha on that fateful day. A year…_Had it really been that long? She supposed it had.

Things had long since changed since she first witnessed InuYasha pinned to the Sacred Tree by an arrow. A part of Kagome secretly wished this journey would never end because, deep inside, she feared for the future. What would happen afterwards? Would she just return home, occasionally visiting on vacations? The people she was traveling with now soon came to be the most cherished people in the girl's heart, save for her three dear family members at home. The purifier did not feel complete without her comrades at her side. _And this is why I never think of the future…stupid. It's stupid._ Deciding just a few hours later that the interruption of her thoughts would predict the future for a certain wolf demon, Kagome was glad that she was interrupted when it actually happened.

"Kagome!"

To hear the shout of her name, said girl's first thought had been that it was InuYasha but when it shouted again, the thoughts in her head completely shifted. That wasn't her favorite half-demon…it was said favorite half-demon's arch rival. Despite Kouga being her friend, things never ended well when he came to visit. Suddenly appearing in front of the boulder Kagome sat on, the male wolf demon gave her quite a fright. Waving his hand, his thumb, index, and middle fingers up, he waved to her. "Yo."

"K-Kouga! You frightened me!" Sliding down off the boulder, Kagome came to an abrupt stop right in front of said frightener and looked up to him, a curious look about her. What in the world was he doing here? Especially at night…something had to be up. If Kagome were to be finding out anytime soon, that dream was soon shattered by another shout. This shout actually happened to belong to the male that Kagome had first thought of.

Pushing a bush roughly out of his way, bare foot hit the grass with loud crunches as he stomped over to the wolf demon and female human, a scowl on his features. The arms of the half-demon were folded over his chest, not very happy (obviously) to see that the wolf demon had come for a visit. InuYasha, being one with a rather keen sense of smell, had smelled the scent of Kouga while he was on his way to apologize to Kagome. At the sudden wolf scent entering his nostrils, InuYasha had sped up his trek to make sure Kouga didn't try anything, seeing as how he would be alone with Kagome. Luckily he arrived just moments after the raven haired male had and could prevent anything from possibly going on. Walking up to stand beside Kouga, acting as if the wolf demon wasn't even there, he watched Kagome.

"Kagome, I need to talk to you."

"I don't believe we invited you, mutt-face. Besides, I was here first and _I_ need to speak with Kagome."

"I wasn't talking to you, you stupid wolf! What the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

"I see your brain follows after your breed: half. I already said that I came here to speak to Kagome."

"Well Kagome doesn't want to speak to you! Isn't that right, Ka- …Kagome? Where'd you go?"

"Oh, now look what you've done! You've lost her!"

Both males were too dense and caught up in their own insane bickering to notice that they hadn't lost Kagome, only that she had ambled back up onto the boulder in order to both get away from them and to just assume a more comfortable position since her feet happened to be aching from all the walking they had done. Sighing slightly, she pulled her legs up slightly and rested an elbow on one of her knees, in return allowing her chin to be placed in her palm. Sometimes she surprised herself at how much she had put up with these two. It always seemed to get old when they bickered like this and on the contrary, she was getting fed up with it. After a while, though, she figured fretting over that would do no good and so she wondered what in the world Kouga was doing here. It was late at night and Kouga usually didn't visit them to just talk to Kagome. Pursing her lips, her head perked up and she looked down to the males who still seemed to be wondering where she was.

"Kouga? I'd actually like to know what you've come to speak with me about." The female replied simply and sweetly, not really caring that InuYasha had come to talk as well. Though she would be happy with the currently unknown to her apology, she could wait a while before it happened. After all, as Kouga stated, he was here first and besides, Kagome didn't see much of him nowadays and her curiosity shot through the air when he had come this night.

Both of the demons perked their heads up, a smug look upon Kouga's face and a rather confused scowl upon InuYasha's. Apparently the half-demon was not used to being second though he settled for it often (his density probably caused him to be oblivious to this fact). Folding his arms over his chest, InuYasha turned his body slightly so he was facing away from both Kouga and Kagome; he had no interest in what Kouga had to say. Despite this, though, one ear perked up and faintly listened to what Kouga would say to the modern-day female.

"Kagome…I've come to ask you to finally be my woman. Once and for all."

Several moments of silence passed before suddenly a 'kyaa!' was sounded from a female and a very angry 'what!' was sounded from a male.

InuYasha, who had turned his body away, suddenly spun back around to glare at Kouga. Kagome, on the other hand had slid down the boulder and watched Kouga incredulously. Had they heard what they just thought they heard? Sure, Kouga had always said that Kagome was his woman but this time he had _asked_. Not only that, he was completely serious and neither disbelieving person had any reason or room to ask: You're joking, right?

"There's no way you're-!"

"InuYasha, be quiet!" Kagome snapped and sent a slight glare his way before focusing all of her attention on Kouga. Taking a deep breath, the raven haired girl's hands had found themselves clasped together behind her back. "Kouga, I know you're said this plenty of times but never have you asked like this. No. No, Kouga, I can't. You should know that. This needs to stop." Letting her words linger in the air for several moments, the female licked her now drying lips and honestly wondered what had caused this to happen. "There are so many things to consider besides this silly little infatuation you seem to have with me." A pause came about for a while. "What about Ayame? She _loves_ you, Kouga, and I know, somewhere deep in your heart, you return the feelings and remember that promise. How can you do this and know that?"

Kagome's words may have come off harsh and she knew that but measures had to be kicked up a notch with this. No longer was Kouga just saying things to be dominant over InuYasha; this times matters were _real_. The female hadn't really ever stood up to Kouga in this sort of way but there were firsts for everything, right? She hadn't listed all the other things to consider besides Ayame, of course, but she figured the conversation would call for them in due time. All of this was a bit too far for Kagome and she hoped to get it settled before the night was over; at least help out Kouga and get some sleep.

Grunting, Kouga realized he had left a very major detail out of his request. "Kagome, you don't know the whole story. There is no more Ayame. Even if I did return the feelings and remember the promise, which I don't," he added quickly. "I couldn't be with her." This caused a rather confused expression to come about for Kagome. "She's getting married and mated to another wolf demon; I've been replaced."

A stunned silence ran over Kagome and InuYasha, though it was Kagome who was more-so concerned with the news.

"Che. So you think you can just come and take Kagome now that your girlfriend is gone?"

This resulted in glares being shot towards InuYasha, both by Kouga and Kagome but Kouga seemed like he honestly wanted to hurt InuYasha. Both of them decided to ignore InuYasha for now (at least somewhat), and they looked to each other, a sudden connection sparking between them that neither had ever felt. The both of them knew (Kouga not admitting it, though) that they would never work out with one another and tonight was the night to understand that and move on. Kouga's ocean blue orbs locked with Kagome's own dark orbs and though she badly wanted to look away from him, she found shy couldn't. A slight tint of pink spread from her cheeks to the edges of her nose as the silence between the three of them, namely Kouga and Kagome, grew thicker and thicker with tension as each moment passed by.

"Kouga…I-I'm sorry-"

"Don't, Kagome. I don't want sympathy or apologies or whatever for this. She's made her choice and that's that. You want me to be honest with you?" Raising his arms into the air somewhat before dropping them, Kouga finally looked genuinely upset over the matter that Ayame would be out of his life for good in three days. "I'm happy for her; I really am. Hopefully she can get what she deserves from this guy. The two of us would have never worked out which is why I'm here tonight.

"Now that Ayame has moved on, you and I can finally be together." Too serious to even realize what he was saying, the gaze he had upon her never wavered and bore into her gaze as if peering into her soul. There was a hidden pain inside his heart that even he himself had not felt just yet. Walls had built themselves around the pain, refusing to let the pain escape in fear of what it would do to Kouga. Not only would it bring pain to Kouga but thoughts he thought that he had blocked forever would be brought back to him. "There's something here between us, Kagome."

"You're right, Kouga—there _is_ something here between us."

A hopeful look crossed Kouga's features when he heard her say this.

"That something, though, isn't what you might think it is. There can't be anything between us save for a friendship due to so many reasons. For one, there is no true love and we haven't known each other as long as it might feel. I don't know you as well as I should if something were to happen." Taking a deep breath, Kagome finally removed her hands from her back and reached one up, letting it run through several strands of her hair for a few moments it dropped to her side, symmetrical to her other arm. The female couldn't explain why it hurt to tell him this, especially when it was the truth. Perhaps the truth really _does_ hurt the most; Kami knows she's witnessed that saying plenty of times. She just didn't realize that she would be the one inflicting hurt to herself and Kouga with the truth. "I don't mean to suddenly bring this down on you but it's true. We're just not meant to be but somewhere out there, destined to marry and mate another wolf demon, is a girl whose heart truly belongs to you."

InuYasha had been listening to the conversation, glad that Kagome wasn't running into his arms or anything, but had found no time to insert himself into the chat. Even if he had, he doubted that he would join in, anyway. As long as Kouga realized his mistake and _finally_ stayed away from Kagome, the half-demon told himself he would be happy. After all this time, Kouga had grown rather tiresome and it wasn't just because he was a cocky and pathetic demon but because of his constant, useless, and fake love confessions to Kagome.

Kouga, eyes narrowed as Kagome's words filtered through his ears, had slightly been expecting this and though he would never admit it, had been hoping for it as well. The thought that he had been hoping for her to deny him suddenly escaped and he became apparent of it, shocked that he would even hope such a thing. There was no reason for him to hope that because he truly wanted Kagome to be his. When she had mentioned that there was no love, it left him speechless because it was _true_. What had they had beside few moments together because of the fact that he had first kidnapped her and then wanted to get revenge on Naraku like the rest of them?

"That doesn't mean we can't try anything! There's _something_, Kagome." His voice seemed desperate almost, as though he needed this from her to escape from the reality that had crashed down on him in the past year or so. Pressing his lips together, a slight growl came forward that he wasn't aware of until it had actually happened. Why was everything crashing down on him?

"No, Kouga, we can't." Shaking her head in a sullen manner, Kagome's heart ached for Kouga and the hurt he was being put through. It was painfully obvious that all of this was because of Ayame. After all, why now, would Kouga come to seriously ask for Kagome to be with him? Ayame was leaving his life once and for all for another wolf demon, no less, and he felt trapped and she was his escape, hm? "Look me in the eye and tell me _seriously_ and _honestly_ that you want to try this. Once you've accomplished that tell me it's not because Ayame has left you and tell me you _don't_ have some sort of rekindling fire burning for her." The words she uttered were snappy but not harsh and cold; they were more-so sympathetic and lovingly honest. If he could say all that seriously and honestly, matters would be flipped upside down in a way where Kagome wouldn't know what to do.

Several moments of silence passed, all of them, including InuYasha, standing on the brink of the cliff even though pressure was only being placed on Kouga's shoulders. Kagome had a stern look about her young and beautiful features which showed she needed to hear this from her.

"I…I can't."

"And why is that, hm?"

Swallowing the newfound lump in his throat roughly, Kouga panicked and attempted to find some sort of escape from Kagome's question because he had no answer. Well, he did have an answer but he never wanted to say that. Taking several deep breaths, his cheeks seemed a little flushed. Finally, clamping his jaw shut, he felt a sudden strength in the pit of his stomach. "I…" he muttered but found he couldn't finish it because it wouldn't be the truth. Kagome deserved the truth after this and so he would give it to her.

"Because I can't! Because…I think I might be falling in love with Ayame!"


End file.
